Meet Dale

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a NASCAR superstar and a third-generation driver. After suffering two concussions in six weeks in October 2012, Dale traveled to UPMC for treatment. Dale had suffered concussions before, “but this felt different… I was very angry… (a) claustrophobic feeling was there, a lot of pressure, a lot of feeling trapped.”

His doctor in Charlotte insisted that Dale travel to Pittsburgh and see UPMC’s Sports Medicine Concussion Program. He was seen as an outpatient for several weeks under the care of Dr. Michael (Micky) Collins, a concussion specialist. The diagnosis and care he received at UPMC helped put Dale at ease: “Being able to sit down and hear the mechanics and the true understanding of what was going on made the recovery process understandable and easier.”

In February 2014, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona 500. “I’m running as well as I’ve ever ran. My professional life is as good as it’s ever been… with the care that I got at UPMC, and the rehab and the things that they put me through, I was able to return to my old self.”